Lone Survivor

Blood, Brotherhood, and Based on a True Story

            Left. Left. Left Right. Right Left....is usually what comes to mind when you think of training for the military. Marching in a perfectly straight line, wearing perfectly shined shoes, and being yelled at by a perfectly relentless drill sergeant. All this stuff is great to use in teaching discipline but it is only the very basic part of what goes into that kind of preparation. Every branch of the United States military has its own way of pushing its future best and brightest. This time, we're dealing with the Navy. Navy SEALS to be exact.

            Based off of the real life accounts in the book Lone Survivor: The Eyewitness Account of Operation Redwing and the Lost Heroes of SEAL Team 10, we are now given a grand tribute and intensely realistic film about those who put themselves second to others.

L to R: Kitsch, Wahlberg, Foster, Hirsch

            June 2005, Afghan mountainside. "Frog Men" of the United States Navy have pointed out a probably location of a highly dangerous and wanted Taliban leader. Waiting for orders to go ahead with the next step in Operation Redwing, the men encounter a speed bump in the form of random shepherds wandering the same mountainside. If you've read the book then you know what comes next but, if you have not, just brace yourselves.

            They are unshaven, dirty, thirsty, and strong. They have loved ones waiting for their return home, they have fellow SEALS back at the base hoping everything goes to plan, and above all else, they have each other. They are: Marcus Luttrell (Mark Wahlberg), Michael Murphy (Taylor Kitsch, John Carter), Danny Dietz (Emile Hirsch, Into The Wild), and Matt "Axe" Axelson (Ben Foster, Alpha Dogs). Luttrell is the head of this pack and the author of the book previously mentioned. In the film's opening scene, there is a first-hand look into the early mornings, all-nighters, and freezing salt water that went into SEAL training. This is a great way to keep the audience's attention and it does so effectively.

            The situation these brave men find themselves in will have you asking, "how could this get any worse?" It's hard to fathom, but, it can. Who is there to trust?

            The action and combat portrayal is so gripping and extreme that it is hard not to feel the anguish and frustration that is being dealt with. Lone Survivor may jump around a lot at certain points but the profound love that these men hold for each other is expressed in every second and leaves no doubt in my mind how dedicated they were to their country. When there are shots flying in every direction and the end seems like it's a second away, it is very easy to forget that these men are just actors. The authenticity is through the roof and for that I commend director Peter Berg and his own team in a well-researched and heartbreaking story of conflict and remembrance. With all-around compelling performances from the four focal men as well as supporting actors Eric Bana (Black Hawk Down) and Alexander Ludwig (The Hunger Games), a new age Saving Private Ryan is the result. This is the blood, sweat, and tears of true American heroes. GRADE: 8.1/10

Her

A Rude Awakening to Modern Society

DISCLAIMER: This review has been written in its entirety while eating my leftover Sour Patch Kids from the theater and also without the use of comparing Scarlett Johansson's character to "Siri." Let's be different, shall we?

           Her is strange, Her is futuristic, Her is a work of art, Her is a great achievement in filmmaking. That sentence sounds really grammatically terrible if you are unaware that the name of the film at hand is a pronoun. Spike Jonze, director of Where The Wild Things Are, dives very deep into the element of technology and creates this movie (written by himself as well) that intertwines the impact and changing social norms our society has recently gone through. There is free-spirited laughter, fun walks down the street, a brightly transparent and hipster-ish color scheme, and, of course, some awkward moments. 

Nothing to be afraid of, though... unless you live in a world where there's a plethora of smart phones and people constantly taking them out to check their emails or listen to music. 

I have not heard of such a thing happening. Have you?

            Joaquin Phoenix has sure made is mark in the spotlight as a weird outsider that is trying to be normal but comes off as even weirder because of this effort to seem normal. He stars in movies that provoke the mind and cover all five senses in a unique way that not many other actors of his generation can pull off. He does not change this trend while playing Theodore. A simple man, Theo works for a company that writes and sends letters between loved ones who want a more heartfelt word choice in their messages. Kind of like a very customized Hallmark. He is a lonely guy going through a divorce with his wife Catherine (Rooney Mara, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo) and, along with many others, wears an ear piece and talks to a "personal" voice reading him his messages for the day. 

            In the past decade alone, "smart" technology has shaped the way the world turns and it has gotten to a point where there are four or five messages to turn off your cell phone before a movie starts and even signs in Subway restaurants that discourage the use of phones while ordering in line. Now imagine being on planet Earth when you don't have to worry whether the guy behind you in the grocery line is talking to you or the person in his bluetooth headset. The reason you won't have to worry is because you won't even know he's there. You won't know he's there because you will already be laughing at an inside joke between you and the person in your own headset. 

Sounds kinda crazy, right? So crazy that it just might work. That is why no one stares while Theodore wanders throughout his day with his new Operating System (OS) girlfriend, Samantha. 

           Scarlett Johansson was recently named Esquire's Sexiest Woman Alive of 2013. She has a reputation in Hollywood of being trim, curvy, and just all around beautiful. Now you have the privilege  of falling in love with her voice. They way she whispers to Theodore while trying to get him to make decisions. Her laugh makes her voice crack in a way that puts her in the room right in front of you. You can't see her, you can't touch her, you can only hear her. Her might be some of her finest work. 

            The chemistry between Phoenix and Johansson that is conjured up out of thin air in Her is out of the ordinary and mesmerizing. There is a flow to this movie that Spike Jonze completely knocks out of the park. Amy Adams is not one to ignore as well, playing a long time friend of Theodore who is in need of her own companionship also. 

            You can take this movie with a grain of salt and see it as an abstract and fetishized technological world, or, you can look at it as a PSA to what people may be missing out on while downloading new apps. Either way, there is always more than what meets the eye. GRADE: 9/10

Saving Mr. Banks

The Most Magical Place on Earth

            Like many others of this generation, I was very young when I first saw the movie Mary Poppins. Besides the catchy tunes that are now iconic to American culture, I did not really take much away from the movie being only four or five years old but it doesn't take a professional film critic to know that, regardless, Mary Poppins will reside forever in the heart of every child, however old he or she may be.

            A mysteriously magical lady with charm and sternness that radiates from the second she enters the Banks' residence. That's what everyone knows and loves. The great thing about Saving Mr. Banks is that it goes beyond what's on page or even on the screen and looks at the reflection of this timeless tale in all of us.

            Keeping your chin up, a smile on your face, a little pixy dust on your shoulders, and you've got Mr. Walt Disney standing in front of you. Much like Mary Poppins herself, the man behind all the magic, fun, endless smiles, and pure joy that can be found in Disneyland, has a few tricks up his sleeve. He soon finds that he needs to pull a little more than a show-stopping number to impress his latest [reluctant] business partner and author of Mary Poppins, P.L. Travers (Mrs. Travers, to you).

            Saving Mr. Banks is everything more than the chronicled events of a film production. Not only was there magic in the book and movie at hand, there was also magic behind the scenes as well as in the lives of those involved. I cannot imagine meeting Walt Disney in the flesh (or even Tom Hanks for that matter) and not having the time of my life. Mrs. Travers sure can, though. Emma Thompson (Nanny McPhee) lives the life of a successful writer running into some troubles financially. Reluctant does not even begin to describe her manner as she journeys from London to Los Angeles in 1961 to discuss the possible production of her most famous book. Deep loathing is a more appropriate adjective for this situation. Memories of her painful childhood are relived as she simultaneously battles the composers and script supervisors of Disney Studios who are just trying to adapt her novel the best way they can.

            Tom Hanks. What good things can't be said about him? He is a King Midas in the flesh and sheds a personality only Walt Disney can dream up. His presence onscreen is happy, upbeat, and magnetic. He draws you in as if he is leaning over and speaking directly to you.

            Delightfully British with a fiercely wonderful snarl that will not sugar-coat whatever is on her mind (not even a spoonful), Emma Thompson is P.L. Travers as she butts heads with the brilliance at Disneyland and does so with charm and poise that could only be embodied by an actress fit to do so. Standing next to Hanks with pursed lips and squinted eyes must be a hard thing to do but she nails it and then some.

           I guarantee Mr. Disney and Mrs. Travers are smiling from above at Saving Mr. Banks. Jason Schwartzman, B.J. Novak, Paul Giamatti, Bradley Whitford, and Colin Farrell add to the magic as well making up a supporting cast that is as entertaining as ever. This is a movie made by Disney Pictures about the making of a Disney movie and it stars Walt Disney, sounds like a dream come true, huh? Grade: 8.2/10